The present invention relates to a biological reactor which is operated using microorganisms and/or enzymes and used for the oxidative conversion of organic compounds and in which the organic compounds to be converted are employed in the presence of a biocatalyst in the reactor space and the enzymes are regenerated at a polarized electrode, polarization of the electrode being effected by means of a catalyst electrode which is located in an electrolyte space and separated from the reactor space by a polyelectrolyte.
In industrial microbial processes, which take place under aerobic conditions, the reactors used are operated with oxygen or air for the regeneration of the enzymes or respiration of the microorganisms. In order to ensure that an adequate amount of oxygen is introduced, jet nozzle systems, immersed jet systems and stirrer systems have to be employed. New phase boundaries have to be created constantly by means of thorough mixing in order to ensure good mass transfer, since only the dissolved oxygen takes part in the reaction. This method of introducing oxygen gives rise to high shear forces which damage some or all of the microorganisms and of the enzyme system. Another problem is the control of foam during gassing. To this end, it is often necessary to use expensive non-metabolizable antifoams, some of which remain in the desired product. Hence, mechanical foam inhibitors have been used, but these too caused damage to the microorganisms. Another problem is the sterility of the air introduced; in the case of sensitive products or microorganisms, this air must be free from extraneous organisms.